Arab News | Donis: Saudi Arabia targeting Gulf Cup title at home

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia coach Georgios Donis said the Green Falcons are targeting the Gulf Cup 27 title as they prepare to face Kuwait in their opening match in Jeddah on Wednesday.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, Donis said representing Saudi Arabia on home soil carried a special responsibility and called on fans to support the team.

“We want to develop and play better, and our goal is to win the tournament,” Dounis said. “Representing the Saudi national team makes things different. We want to give our best and make our fans happy.”

Dounis also acknowledged the impact of midfielder Musab Al-Juwair’s exclusion from the squad for disciplinary reasons, describing his absence as a technical loss while expressing confidence in the players available to him.

“What happened gives us some negative energy, but we have quality,” he said. “Most of the players also have good experience.”

Reflecting on Saudi Arabia’s campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Donis said the team had worked hard but needed to improve its decision-making.

“At the World Cup, we ran a lot and worked hard, but we made some wrong decisions,” he said. “The important thing is to maintain our confidence and control of the game.”

Donis also addressed the rapid development of the Saudi Pro League and its impact on the national team, saying a stronger domestic competition does not automatically translate into a stronger national side.

“The Saudi league has developed significantly, with many quality foreign stars and players joining,” he said. “But having a strong league does not necessarily mean we have a strong national team.”

He said the development of the league could help Saudi players build stronger personalities and compete at higher standards, while also creating challenges in terms of playing time for some local players.

“We want to play to better standards and with a stronger personality,” Dounis said. “The negative side is that sometimes we lack playing time. Goalkeepers, for example, are mostly foreigners.”

Donis said he remained confident in the Saudi players and wanted the team to build on the positive aspects of the domestic game.

“I believe in the players and we have to strengthen the positives,” he said. 

“Tomorrow is not a final. We will play Kuwait with our personality and identity, then analyze our mistakes. Every match is different, and our goal is to improve from where we were.

The Greek coach also said pressure is a natural part of football, particularly when playing a major tournament at home.

“Playing football without pressure is not normal,” he said. “The important thing is to control the pressure well and not allow it to make us lose our way or our style.”